Concept Test: Turn Tabula Rasa
by Ocelot014
Summary: Proof of concept test of a fiction I'm writing. SatAM. After the liberation of Mobotropolis, Sonic realizes his utopia is coming crashing down around him. Will only continue with positive reaction, so R&R is a must!


**Author's Note: This is a proof of concept test of a SatAM-based fiction (tentatively titled "Turn") I'm considering writing spanning the fall of Robotnik and the rise of the new Mobian Government. The story is**** part military action/adventure and part political suspense/drama.**** The following excerpt occurs sometime roughly halfway through the fic in a chapter entitled "Tabula Rasa".**

**Legal: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, or any of the places, names, or characters associated with this continuity. They are licensed properties of Sega and DiC entertainment.**

**That said, enjoy!**

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King Maximillian Acorn scowled and leaned back in his chair. "Ungrateful peasants! Don't they know the sacrifices I've made? Defense Minister Sonic, place Mobitropolis under martial law. Freedom of speech, assembly, and press are now rescinded. Order your troops to fire on anyone in violation of these new decrees."

I was stunned. "But sir, you can't just—"

"The hell I can't!" the King snarled. "Last I checked, _I_ ran this government, _not anyone else!_ Can you not see what this is, or has peace clouded your mind beyond hope? _This is a coup_, and I will _not_ lose my throne so easily after I have taken it back, _do you understand?_"

"Sir, the people are just rioting, they just want de-roboticization to move—"

"Dammit, hedgehog! Close the city or I will find someone who will!" King Acorn slammed his fist on the table.

My eyes narrowed. I knew the king had been losing it lately, but this was too far. I glared at him across the table.

"No. I won't. Not without a legitimate reason."

The king shook with rage. "_BECAUSE I TOLD YOU TO, YOU IMBICILE!_ Security Minister Knuckles, you are now assuming full control of the military. Place the city under martial law and escort Minister Sonic _off the premises!_"

"Done, sir." Knuckles replied.

"Good. Now _GET HIM OUT OF HERE!_" the King bellowed. Knuckles rose pulled me up by the arm.

"Let's go." He commanded. I shook his hand off.

"I can make it myself, you little shiteater."

"Just move." He snarled back, pushing open the door. He grabbed my hand and flung me through the opening. I hit the ground on the polished marble floor outside the chamber. I felt something in the hand Knuckles had grabbed. _A piece of paper?_ I opened it up. There, scrawled in the block lettering of Knuckles' handwriting was a simple message.

GALLERY OF THE PEACE PLAZA

8 PM, TONIGHT

COME ALONE

I cast a bewildered look up at my colleague, still standing in the doorway. He gave me a barely perceptible nod, then slammed the doors shut. I pulled myself to my feet and stared back at the room I had just been flung from.

_What the hell was going on?!_

_Gallery Of The Peace Plaza  
Northern Fountain  
7:58 PM_

Patience has never been my strong point. And that's in normal, everyday activities.

So, in retrospect, I suppose that it was a bad idea to show up 10 minutes early, pacing around the mostly empty square with my thoughts a jumbled mix of paranoia and confusion. The recently-imposed curfew wasn't for another hour, and I couldn't imagine any of my own soldiers shooting me on sight anyway, but I kept checking the surrounding rooftops for snipers. I wouldn't put it past this newly formed cabal of the King and Knuckles to try and quickly execute me for Conspiracy to Overthrow the Crown, or whatever King Max obviously assumed I was doing. I paced and cursed some more.

"Where is he, _where is he?_ Dammit, where is he?" I muttered staring at my feet as I paced.

"Who?" a distinctive voice answered. My head snapped up.

"Took your time, Knuckles." I grumbled, noting my watch read _8:03_.

"Patient as always, huh Sonic?" the red echidna smiled thinly.

"Whatever. Now what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Knuckles looked confused. "I'm not sure I follow."

I glared at him. "I mean what the _hell_ are you doing backing up the King like that! He has no right to—"

"I agree with you." Knuckles cut me off.

"Then why follow the King's orders? Why not stand up and _advise_ him like we're supposed to do?"

"Because he won't listen, you and I both know that. And we both know what that means."

Now it was my turn for a confused look. "What the heck do ya—"

"Tabula Rasa."

Those two words stopped me cold and sent shivers down my spine. I looked back up, my expression deadly serious.

"Tabula Rasa." I echoed, my mouth suddenly dry. "Has it really come to that?"

Knuckles nodded. "Deep down, you know it's true." I just nodded. "We need to do this now, before the King further consolidates his power in the military."

"Through you!" I shot.

"I'm buying time. Eventually, I won't be cooperative enough, and he'll seize direct control for himself, like the simulations predicted. Then, it's a slippery slope to genocide."

"Oh, man…" I groaned, grabbing my head. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"But it has." Knuckles replied. "And it's time we did something about it. I've already summoned everyone to my flat. You're the last one I require."

"Dammit, why do you need _me?_"

Knuckles smiled. "Because you're Sonic the Hedgehog. No revolution could possibly succeed without you."

_New Mobitropolis, Southwest Sector  
Knuckles' Flat  
8:35 PM_

Despite my ability to nearly instantly arrive at any destination, Knuckles insisted on taking public transportation, all the while making very loud and public statements as to how I should support the King, and any decrees he saw fit to make. I sighed and shook my head. He was establishing his alibi.

As we took the elevator to his floor, I ground my teeth nervously. Knuckles noticed my disposition.

"Look, don't worry." He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure that once we explain this to the Princess—"

My head snapped around. "_Sally's_ here?"

Knuckles stared at me with a _no shit_ gaze. "Well, yeah, she's an integral part to—"

"_Why the hell are you involving my wife in all of this!_" I slammed him up against the elevator's wall.

"Because we need a legitimate ruler to replace the King, dumbass!" he pushed me off him. "But she doesn't know what's going on. Neither does Tails."

"What the hell! You haven't told either of them?"

"No." Knuckles replied as the elevator ground to a stop. "That's your job." With that, the doors slid open, and we stepped into Knuckles' flat.

The flat itself was pretty spacious, taking up the entire top floor of a twenty-four story hi-rise. The elevator emerged into his living room, which was filled with comfortably arranged couches, a large coffee table, and a full wet-bar in the corner. Tails was staring out the window, the holographic NICOLE lounged on a couch, Sally paced and Rotor poured himself a strong glass of _distul_ from the bar as we arrived.

Sally instantly looked up as I walked in. "Sonic, what's going on! I heard father declared martial law and ordered you to fire on protestors! Tell me you're not going through with it!"

I said nothing, just stared at the floor. Knuckles spoke up. "No, Sally. Sonic didn't go through with it. So the King issued the task to me."

Horror filled my wife's eyes. "And your answer?"

"In the name of saving lives, I agreed." Sally went red with rage. She was about to unleash an explosive deontological tirade when Knuckles continued. "But not for the same reasons as your father! Sonic and I have a plan to end his madness, and I think you should hear us out. Sonic?" Sally cooled down and leaned against the couch. Tails plopped down on a cushion next to NICOLE's prone form, and Rotor took a deep sip from his alcohol-filled glass. All eyes were on me.

I sighed. "Sally, Tails, have you guys ever heard of something called 'Tabula Rasa'?"

Tails nodded, looking confused, but Sally answered "Of course, it's the philosophy that all Mobians are born neither inherently good nor evil, but blank slates, and their experiences determine their disposition."

"Well, yeah, that's right, but… well… not completely. It's also this plan we kinda have to—"

Knuckles cut me off. "Tabula Rasa is a plan designed by Sonic, Rotor, NICOLE and myself to effect a radical destabilization of the Royal Mobian government in the event that its leaders become corrupt, incompetent, ineffective, or unstable. We intend to put it into effect tonight."

"_WHAT?!_" Sally exploded.

"_Knuckles!_" I yelled.

"Oh, shit…" Tails grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, you were taking too long." Knuckles retorted. Rotor took a long pull from his glass.

"You four have been _plotting_ against my father?!" Sally asked incredulously, placing her head in her hands.

"No we haven't, Sal!" I raced over and put an arm on her shoulder, which she rapidly shrugged off. "It was just a contingency! Right, NICOLE?"

The computerized lynx stood up. "This is correct, Sally. It was developed towards the end of the war with Robotnik along with several other contingencies along the lines of civil uprising, tribal warfare, hostile alien attack, seismic events, natural weather disasters, and fires."

"Real reassuring, NICOLE" Sally responded acidly. "Nice to know plans to depose my father lie in the same bin as fire control!"

"Sally, it was something we had to plan for!" Rotor spoke up for the first time. "The King was in the Void for years! Who knew how he would fare after time? And the long term effects of QIPM treatment are complete unknowns! We had to take these variables into account!"

"Come on, Sal." I took her by the shoulders and stared imploringly into her eyes. "Your dad's changed. You know he has! He's not the same man who ruled all those years ago, _he's losing his mind!_"

"He is, Aunt Sally." Tails spoke up. I felt my heart lift as I realized he was on our side. "His response to the incident in Westopolis last month, now the curfew and the suspension of civil liberties," Tails shook his head, "he's not himself anymore."

"He's grown paranoid, and, quite frankly, dangerous." Knuckles added rather callously.

I wheeled on him. "Look man, don't make this any harder on her than it already is!"

"You just weren't there when he began talking about rounding up and executing all political dissidents. Does _that_ sound dangerous enough to you?" he retorted.

"Stop…" Sally said, her voice surprisingly soft.

"Sal?" I put my hand on her arm. Her eyes welled with tears.

"How has it come to this?!" she wailed. "I know he's changed, I just couldn't admit it to myself! I thought he was just aging and under stress, but insane? And now, he's talking about killing fellow Mobians! Oh, how can this have happened?!"

"I know, I know…" I groaned. "But we have to do something about it, and soon. Once your Dad gets full control over the military…" I shook my head.

Sally seemed to go numb. "What…do you need me to do?" she asked weakly.

"At the moment, nothing." Knuckles responded. "Let us four, and Tails if he's up to it, handle the legwork. You just step in when the time is right, got it?" Sally nodded. "Okay everyone, let's get you up to speed quick. Tomorrow, we wipe the slate clean."

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**Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this segment, or if you have any sort of comment at all, please send in some reviews! I'll only consider working on this fic if I get a decent reaction, so if you like it, let me know!**

**Ocelot Out**


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